NAN-ELS-1
Authors
By Collins Yakubu-Hammer
Abuja, Aug.11, 2017 (NAN) Prof. Aize Obayan, a former Vice Chancellor of Covenant University, Ota, has called on authors in the country to join the Reproduction Rights Society of Nigeria (REPRONIG) to get royalties from their works.
Obayan made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja.
NAN reports that Obayan recently headed the National Working Group on Copyright Licensing in Tertiary Institutions organised by REPRONIG to harmonise and consolidate a framework to ensure copyright licensing in tertiary institutions.
Obayan said with the proper structure in place, authors through REPRONIG, would get royalties for the photocopy of their works from tertiary institutions in the country and across the world.
“It’s a brand new dawn and refreshing one for authors and I think authors will begin to smile soon.
“Authors in other countries are comfortable; creative works actually offer a lot and if you work so hard creating original ideas and content, it has to be rewarded.
“It is not only monetary reward but global recognition and the protection and securing of these rights.
“These will also inspire other persons who have creative ideas to come up as well,’’ Obayan said.
She said the Nigerian Copyright Commission, Nigerian Universities Commission and Association of Vice-chancellors of Nigerian Universities were in support of REPRONIG in the quest by authors to get royalties.
Obayan, also a former vice chancellor of Landmark University, Omu-Aran, noted that a lot of people were accessing works without regards to the copyright laws.
“There is a lot of photocopying going on; people not having respect for the efforts that authors put into their works.
“However, when everything is in place, authors will be paid based on their works that have been photocopied in the tertiary institutions in the country and other parts of the world.
“Various laws are already there to achieve this but we will have to institutionalise them,’’ she said.
NAN reports that REPRONIG provides for an educational and secure platform for accessing a huge repertoire from across the world.
By taking a REPRONIG licence, educational and research institutions could avert any adverse claim from copyright owners.
NAN also reports that REPRONIG represents the interest of rights holders, individual authors, publishers and their respective associations.(NAN)
CMY/AK/OJO
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(Edited by Akin Makanjuola/Mufutau Ojo)